"Huh? Fishing Dreamer's streaming again?"
Iono gasped and tapped straight into the stream.
Footage of the Streamer challenging Gyms with Magikarp had stayed vivid in her mind.
She had a hunch the guy could become a serious rival, so she kept close tabs.
To her surprise, Adrian hadn't posted in a month; commenters joked he'd gone soft, kept by some Johto Gym Leader.
Iono had sighed at the rumors.
Looks like that was all hot air!
She joined just as the match began.
"Wait—last time he used Magikarp, now he's pitting Pichu against Lt. Surge's Raichu?"
Iono's eyes bulged in disbelief.
As a fellow Electric-type Gym Leader, she knew Lt. Surge well.
They'd even clashed at the Type Expert tournament.
His brutal, head-on style had almost cost her dearly.
"Pichu versus Raichu—how can it win?"
The hype hooked her; she leaned in.
Meanwhile, inside Vermilion Gym—
"Pichu, Agility—dodge!"
The little mouse blurred past Raichu's hammering fist, zig-zagging faster each second.
Pichu's speed soared.
"Tch, that trick again?"
Lt. Surge's face twitched as memories flooded back.
Ash's Pikachu had once spun his Raichu senseless with the same tactic.
"Is this kid connected to that brat?"
Gritting his teeth, Lt. Surge vowed to crush him.
This was no ordinary Gym challenge anymore.
"Raichu, Discharge—now!"
Discharge struck every corner of the field.
Let's see you dodge a storm that covers everything.
"Rai-chu!"
Power crackled as Raichu charged.
"Here it comes—can little Pichu take it?"
Viewers held their breath.
Adrian fought a smirk.
"Pii!"
On the turf, Pichu licked its lips, eyes sparkling.
BOOM!
Lightning flooded the arena.
Cornered, Pichu lit up like a Super-Saiyan mouse.
"Direct hit!"
Lt. Surge fist-pumped—then frowned: no scream.
"Lightning Rod…?"
His brow arched.
Rare in the Pikachu line.
His own Raichu carried Static.
"So that's the ace up the Streamer's sleeve—Lightning Rod. Surge's 'knows-every-electric-move' Raichu just got neutered."
"Go, little Pichu!"
"Don't celebrate yet—its pouch is tiny; can it really drink all that juice without bursting?"
"Good point—traits help, but raw power still rules."
Cheers turned to anxious groans.
Yet seconds ticked by… and no scream came.
Instead, Raichu's bolts thinned as its reserves drained.
"Pii-Pichu!"
As the lightning shrank, the mouse came into view—unscathed, eyes blazing, power surging.
Thanks for the free juice, buddy.
"Holy—little Pichu held!"
"Remember yesterday's training stream? He's been maxing Lightning Rod!"
"Looks like it—this wasn't luck."
"Heh-heh, Lt. Surge, Raichu's out of juice—give it a push!"
The tense chat exploded into memes.
Iono, however, spotted deeper trouble.
"Can it really keep going?"
She watched the flickering arcs on Pichu's cheeks.
Even she, an Electric specialist, doubted she could push Lightning Rod that far.
Pichu's pouch looked near full, yet Raichu's tank was almost dry—anyone's game now.
Surge, unaware of chat, shoved Raichu forward.
"Discharge—maximum!"
He simply refused to believe the mouse could swallow every last watt.
His Raichu, though a quick-bred enforcer, packed serious voltage; anything less wouldn't earn a slot on his team.
"Rai-Raichu!"
Power surged again.
Crackling streams slammed into Pichu, every bolt channeled by Lightning Rod.
But the mouse hit its limit.
"Pii… Pichu…"
Pain twisted its face.
It wanted to blast the energy back, yet Raichu kept pouring in more than it could vent.
Turning off Lightning Rod now would fry it; keeping it risked overload.
"Pichu!!"
Adrian realized his miscalculation.
He hadn't expected Lt. Surge to sustain Discharge after the first failure.
Veteran eyes indeed.
Nor had he foreseen such bottomless reserves—this was Gym Leader level, no ordinary Trainer.
In raw output, even Jasmine's Ampharos paled beside Surge's Raichu.
"It's caving!"
Sharp-eyed viewers spotted Pichu's agony.
"Rai-chu!"
Encouraged, Raichu pushed harder.
Then a blinding white light burst from Pichu.
"What—?!"
Adrian, Lt. Surge, the chat—everyone froze.
"Little Pichu's evolving!!"
Delight swept over Adrian.